Hundreds of mourners gathered in silence on Sunday in the Swiss Alpine resort town of Crans-Montana to pay tribute to the 40 people who lost their lives in a devastating fire at a bar that had just opened for New Year's celebrations.
The somber procession wound its way up the hill to Le Constellation, where flames had engulfed the building on December 31. Many people were still reeling from the tragedy, and some were visibly shaken as they joined the march. The crowd was largely silent, but when they finally broke out into applause, it was a sustained and heartfelt expression of grief.
The fire is believed to have been caused by candles left too close to the ceiling of the crowded bar, sparking a blaze that quickly spread. Many of the victims were young people, and their families are still trying to come to terms with what happened.
During the Mass held earlier in the day at the Chapelle Saint-Christophe, Rev. Gilles Cavin spoke of the "terrible uncertainty" for families who had lost loved ones. His words echoed the emotions of those gathered outside the bar, where a makeshift memorial was growing as people left flowers and messages of condolence.
As the investigation into the fire continues, Swiss authorities have opened a criminal probe into the bar managers, who are suspected of involuntary homicide, bodily harm, and causing a fire. The probe will also examine whether safety measures in place at the time were adequate.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin has announced a national day of mourning for the victims on January 9, while France's Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said that 17 patients who were injured in the blaze have received care in France. Others are being transferred to Germany, Italy, and Belgium for further treatment.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the small community of Crans-Montana, where many people know each other by name. As one resident put it, "They went there to party," a reminder that even on New Year's Eve, nothing is as safe as it seems.
The somber procession wound its way up the hill to Le Constellation, where flames had engulfed the building on December 31. Many people were still reeling from the tragedy, and some were visibly shaken as they joined the march. The crowd was largely silent, but when they finally broke out into applause, it was a sustained and heartfelt expression of grief.
The fire is believed to have been caused by candles left too close to the ceiling of the crowded bar, sparking a blaze that quickly spread. Many of the victims were young people, and their families are still trying to come to terms with what happened.
During the Mass held earlier in the day at the Chapelle Saint-Christophe, Rev. Gilles Cavin spoke of the "terrible uncertainty" for families who had lost loved ones. His words echoed the emotions of those gathered outside the bar, where a makeshift memorial was growing as people left flowers and messages of condolence.
As the investigation into the fire continues, Swiss authorities have opened a criminal probe into the bar managers, who are suspected of involuntary homicide, bodily harm, and causing a fire. The probe will also examine whether safety measures in place at the time were adequate.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin has announced a national day of mourning for the victims on January 9, while France's Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said that 17 patients who were injured in the blaze have received care in France. Others are being transferred to Germany, Italy, and Belgium for further treatment.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the small community of Crans-Montana, where many people know each other by name. As one resident put it, "They went there to party," a reminder that even on New Year's Eve, nothing is as safe as it seems.
can u believe this? 40 ppl lost their lives in a bar fire and most of them were young people... what a tragedy 
it's just not right that these ppl were so carefree and now they're gone 
i mean, we all know the risks when we go to bars on NYE but still... it's one thing to be aware of the risks and another thing entirely when things go wrong like this 
i'm not saying the bar managers did anything wrong or anything, but come on, shouldn't they have had better safety measures in place? 
at least the Swiss are taking this seriously with a national day of mourning and all... 
I'm still trying to process what happened in Crans-Montana on NYE... 40 people lost their lives and it's just heartbreaking 
. It's not just about the victims, but also about the families who are still trying to come to terms with what happened 
. Can we take a moment to reflect on our safety measures and make sure that everyone has access to safe spaces to celebrate? Let's all be more mindful of our surroundings, especially when it comes to things like candles 
. Sending love and support to the community of Crans-Montana during this difficult time 
.
I'm still trying to process what happened at that bar in Crans-Montana. 40 people lost their lives, and you know what? It's not even about the cause of the fire... it's about the fact that we're still human beings, we can get hurt or lose our loved ones in a split second. 
I'm not trying to make light of it, but we need to remember that even with all these safety measures in place, accidents can still happen. The bar managers are being investigated, and that's good, but let's also think about what happened before the fire broke out... were there any warning signs? 
. And yea, 17 people in other countries are gettin treatment too, that's a big relief 
. It's days like these that remind us how fragile life is...
its like something out of a horror movie 
and im sure its going to take a long time for the families of the victims to heal